Sleepyside What? AKA WTF?
by ams71080
Summary: Who knew a dare could lead to so much?
1. The Dare

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It was the mother of all dares. Trixie just had to pick dare at the sleepover. She should have known she couldn't trust her best friends. After all, how many cars had she mooned in the name of the game? Oh well, it wasn't as if she had a boyfriend. As much as she liked Jim, he'd never even kissed her. All she had to do was take a deep breath, calm down, and stick to the story.

She stiffened her back and opened Honey's door. With one last nervous glance at Honey and Diana, she was out of the room. She walked down the hall and stopped in front of a closed door. Taking a deep breath, she knocked.

"Come in."

Trixie slowly opened the door. "Ben? Are you decent?"

She heard the covers rustle and then came the answer. "As decent as you're likely to find me at this time of night."

Trixie peeked around the door, and seeing that he was covered, walked in and sat on the floor by the bed. "How are you?"

Ben looked at her, thinking she had lost her way. "Trixie, are you aware of the time?"

Trixie nodded. "I wanted to ask you something."

Ben arched an eyebrow. "And that would be...?"

"I want to get to know you better," she said in a rush. "Why don't we go out for lunch tomorrow?"

Ben laughed. "Good joke, goon. Now get out of here. Lack of sleep has definitely made you crazy."

"I'm serious," Trixie said.

"Oh, and I guess you want me to pay, too, huh?"

"No, I asked, so I'm paying."

Ben sighed. "All right. Lunch tomorrow. I'll drive."

It was Trixie's turn to laugh. "I was hoping you'd say that. See you in the morning."

Five minutes later, Trixie was back in Honey's room telling Honey and Diana what had happened. "I'm still not sure he believed me."

"He'll be ready," Honey said confidently, "if only to see what joke you're playing."

Right before lunchtime, Ben started looking around for Trixie, hoping he wasn't obvious. He decided to wait in his car with the radio on. As he was about to give up, she came running.

"Sorry, I'm late. I got stuck cleaning Bobby up for lunch. Ready?"

Ben put the car in gear and they were soon on the road. "Where did you want to go?" he asked.

"How about Wimpy's? Their burgers are good."

They were sitting at a booth in the diner before they spoke again.

"What is all this about, Trixie? You don't even like me. Why would you ask me to have lunch?"

She looked down, hoping he'd take the gesture as shyness. "I told you. I want to get to know you better. Honey's my best friend, so whenever you visit, we'll be seeing each other. We may as well learn to get along."

Ben nodded. Apparently, it made sense to him.

They spent the rest of their time pleasantly. Trixie was surprised that Ben wasn't as bad as she had thought. That was why, when Ben asked her out to a movie and dinner after they returned to the Manor House, she happily accepted.

At the same moment, Jim and Honey were talking in the stables.

"Why did she go out with him?" Jim asked in confused irritation.

Honey was getting annoyed. She hated being interrogated. "I told you. She was dared to ask him for lunch. That's it. Now go away."

Jim recognized the tone of Honey's voice. The one that said she was losing patience.

Ben remembered something he needed to tell Trixie. He looked out the window and saw that she hadn't left yet and hurried out to talk to her.

Jim saw Trixie heading towards her home. "Trixie," he called.

Trixie turned. "What is it?"

Jim walked closer to her. "I know why you asked Ben to lunch. Honey told me that she and Diana dared you to. I'm sorry that the dare was so hard." He sounded as if he was forgiving her for something.

Trixie could have sworn that she heard something in the underbrush. She looked into the woods. She shook her head after not seeing anything. She looked back at Jim, her eyes gleaming dangerously. She didn't understand how he could use that patronizing tone when nothing she had done was any of his business.

"Listen here, Jim. I may have been dared to ask him out to lunch, but I was not dared to accept his date invitation." She was so mad that she stomped home, leaving a speechless Jim behind.

Ben was sitting at the lake when Honey spotted him. He had made the noise that Trixie had heard.

"Ben?" she called.

He didn't look up from staring at the middle of the lake. He didn't appear to have heard her.

Honey walked up behind him and gently put her hand on his shoulder. He jumped, startled. "Don't you know better than to sneak up on people?" he growled at her.

"I didn't sneak up on you. I called you," she answered.

Ben shrugged and went back to looking for life's secrets in the lake.

"What's wrong?" Honey asked.

"I heard Jim say that Trixie only asked me to lunch as a dare. I feel so stupid. I believed her when she said she only wanted to get to know me better. I even asked her out for dinner and a movie."

"What did she say?" Honey asked carefully.

"She said yes." Ben informed her.

Honey sighed. "Ben, it's true she asked you for lunch on a dare. But, no one dared her to say yes when you asked her out."

Ben stared at her. All of a sudden, a knowing expression crossed his face, followed by a huge satisfied grin. "You're right. There was no one around to dare her. She said yes on her own. Thanks, Honey!" He jumped up and ran towards the house, leaving Honey staring after him with an amused smile.

Later, Trixie was waiting on Ben to pick her up. She was having second thoughts about accepting this date. She was wondering if he had asked her out as a prank. Before she got into that thought, she saw him pull into the driveway.

Trixie grabbed her jacket and was out the door before anyone realized she left.

They had a pleasant conversation on the drive to the Cameo, where Ben bought tickets for them to see The Ring 2. Trixie wasn't scared at all, much to Ben's disappointment. He had been looking forward to having a frightened Trixie cuddled up to him. He decided to take care of matters himself.

Trixie looked at Ben with a questioning expression when he had all of a sudden hid his eyes in her shoulder. He glanced up at her and whispered in her ear, "Someone has to burrow into their date's shoulder during scary parts. If it won't be you, it might as well be me."

Trixie couldn't hold back her laughter. By the time Ben noticed she was trying, she was almost purple from not breathing. That cracked Ben up, and they left the theater amid pointed glares in their direction.

Once in Ben's car, they managed to calm down.

"Shall we go to dinner now?"

At that moment, Trixie's stomach growled loudly. After more giggles and all-out guffaws, Ben said, "I'll take that as a yes."

After hooting and chuckling through their dinner at the Glen Road Inn, Ben took Trixie home.

They pulled into the Belden driveway, and Ben got out to open Trixie's door. She beat him to it, and she chuckled quietly. She grabbed his hand as they walked to the porch.

"I had a really nice time. I'm glad you went with me," Ben whispered.

"I did, too. We'll have to do it again."

To his surprise, Ben leaned forward and kissed Trixie. To her greater surprise, she found herself deepening the kiss. They pulled back simultaneously, breathing hard. "Well," they said in one voice.

Trixie laughed shakily. Ben leaned forward and kissed her quickly on the cheek. "See ya later," he said, backing away.

Trixie leaned against the front door, listening to his happy, satisfied whistle. She waved when he waved to her from the car. With a sigh, she fell backwards into Mart as he opened the door.

Author's Notes: Thanks to Random House for not suing me for borrowing their characters. Obviously, I'm making no money for this story. Thanks to Andrea and El for editing. Chelsea, I miss you! Hurry up so you can edit again! Thanks to Lindsay and Teresa for their encouragement for this story. Thanks to Lindsay, Teresa, and Heather for going through it after uploading for any boo-boos I may have made.


	2. The Decision

The Decision

Trixie made a sound of startled surprise when the door at her back opened and she fell into Mart's arms. Mart was just as surprised and almost dropped her. He recovered quickly and set her back on her feet. She giggled.

"Just where were you and who were you out with?" he demanded after he caught his breath.

"Not that it's any of your business, I was on a date."

Mart's eyes narrowed. "With who? You're only fifteen years old. That's too young for my sister to date."

Trixie glared at her brother. "I was out with Ben. We went to a movie and then to dinner. I had permission from Moms and Daddy. Are you satisfied?"

Mart started laughing. "Another 'yen for Ben'?" he asked sarcastically. "I didn't think the last one went that well."

Trixie saw red. "I'm not pretending. I really do like him. I was able to get to know the person under the arrogance and pranks. What's more, if he asks me out again, I'll be more than happy to go." With that, she stamped up to her room, leaving Mart standing with his mouth wide open, wondering if he had fallen into a parallel universe.

The next morning, Trixie was awakened with the news that she was wanted on the phone.

"Hello?" she answered sleepily.

"Trixie? Wakey-wakey. Get your suit and meet me at the lake. See you then."

Trixie was confused. She couldn't quite place the voice on the phone. Then the fog suddenly cleared from her brain. That had been Ben. She laughed delightedly, conveniently forgetting that she hated to be told what to do.

She returned to her room to get her things. After a quick shower, she dressed, remembering to pack a bag with a brush, bathing suit, and a towel. Ready, she started the walk to the lake.

Ben had been at the lake for an hour before he called Trixie from his cell phone. He glanced around one more time to make sure everything was perfect, just in time for Trixie to materialize from the trees. He felt an unfamiliar nervousness as she approached him with a smile on her face. He hoped she'd enjoy the day he had planned.

Trixie reached Ben and gave him a kiss on the cheek. As she looked around, she lost her smile. In its place was a look of surprise.

"You went to all this trouble just for me?" she asked, gesturing at the breakfast laid out on the picnic table.

Ben nodded. "Don't worry, though. I didn't cook it myself."

Trixie laughed. "So are we going to eat or swim first?"

"Eat," came the reply. "I'm starving."

Trixie sat down as Ben fixed her a plate of fruit salad and yogurt from the cooler. He fixed one for himself and sat down, noticing Trixie's expression as she looked at her plate.

"I just thought a light breakfast would be best this morning. We have a lot to do today and we can't waste all of our time waiting until we can go swimming."

She was relieved at his answer.

After eating, they changed into their suits and dove into the water. Ben chased Trixie until she was too tired to swim, got out, and grabbed her towel.

After drying her hair as much as she could, she grabbed her brush. Ben grabbed her wrist. "Let me," he whispered.

Trixie knew her now shoulder-length hair was tangled from swimming and towel drying, so she prepared herself to feel her hair being pulled. Instead, Ben was brushing it so gently that she immediately relaxed and enjoyed having her hair brushed.

When her hair was free of knots, he put his arms around her from behind. "What am I going to do?" he said, low in her ear.

"About what?" she asked, looking back at him.

"We've finally started getting along and I have to go to school tomorrow. It's freshman orientation."

"That's right, you do," she whispered. "Well, you'll meet all kinds of girls at college and forget about me."

"Are you going to forget about me when you go back to school next week?" He looked deeply into her eyes.

She shook her head, unable and unwilling to say that she couldn't forget him. "You don't have to worry about me. Those guys just see me as Tomboy Trixie and probably always will."

Ben smiled. "You've changed a lot this summer. Look at you. You've let your hair grow out; you've worn skirts and dresses by choice. I especially like your mini-skirt. You know the one that-"

With that, Trixie pushed him away playfully and watched him fall. As soon as he had gotten back on his feet, she was tackled to the ground. She tried to wriggle out from under him, but all she managed to do was roll over. "Gotcha back," he grinned.

She giggled. "Get off me, you oaf. I need to get dressed and then I need to get the grass out of my hair."

He laughed with her. "Okay. I guess I should get dressed too if we're going to the mall in White Plains."

"Why are we going there? And I'd have to ask my parents first."

"Your parents already know. And I have a surprise for you there."

When they got to the mall, Ben led her to the food court for lunch. After eating, he led her to the movie theater, where they saw a comedy that had them rolling the whole way through.

"Was that my surprise?" she asked, once the movie was over.

"Yeah, I know it's a lame one, but Honey assured me that you've been wanting to see that one since you saw the previews."

On the drive back to Sleepyside, Ben pulled over on the side of the road, his palms slippery with nervous sweat. _How am I supposed to do this? I've already gotten away with more than I thought I ever could. What if she thinks I'm being pushy? What if she smells garlic on my breath and pushes me away before I can kiss her?_

Trixie looked at him questioningly._ What's going on? Is he going to tell me that he hates me? That I didn't measure up to his expectations? And why do I all of a sudden have butterflies in my stomach? Oh my gosh! What if he wants to kiss me? Did I have too many onions on my pizza?_

"We need to have a talk about what we expect," he told her.

"Okay...what do you have in mind?" she asked.

"What I don't expect is for you to sit at home alone while all your friends are out having fun. I know you'll be asked out, and that's fine. But I really like you and would wish that whenever I'm able to visit, I have first dibs on dating you."

She let out a sigh of relief. "I was hoping you'd say something like that. I was thinking the same thing. I just didn't know how to bring it up without sounding awfully selfish."

"Why selfish?"

"Sounding selfish because you'll come to visit your relatives. I didn't want to sound like I wanted all of your time. Not that I'd mind," she finished in almost a whisper.

With her last words still ringing in his ear, he caught her jaw, and gently kissed her. "I wouldn't mind either."

With a sigh, he realized they'd better get back home and maneuvered the car back onto the road.

The next morning, Honey came to visit.

"Did Ben get off all right?" Trixie asked, once they were in her room with the door shut.

"He got off fine this morning. Now, I want to know what you two did yesterday and the night before. I want all the details, well, not all of them, but you know what I mean."

"Well, you know we had lunch day before yesterday and he asked me out to dinner."

Honey sighed impatiently. "I know that! I want to know about the stuff I don't know about."

Trixie giggled. She was having fun.

Honey glared. She was not enjoying Trixie's delight in making her wait.

"Okay, okay!" Trixie held up her hands in mock defeat. "This is what happened..."

Author's Notes: These characters do not belong to me. They belong to Random House. I've had a lot of fun with this story! I need to thank my editors, El and Julie. Andrea and Chelsea, I miss y'all and hope you'll be back to editing soon! MAJOR thanks to Lindsay. She kept after me until this got written, and helped immensely with the writing itself.


	3. Happy New Year

Happy New Year

For the first time in her life, Trixie fully understood what 'being in a tizzy' meant. It was the day after Christmas and Ben was coming to visit the Wheelers. He had called and asked if she would be there to welcome him. At first, she was unsure. Honey told her that it would be okay, that everyone was happy that Ben had found a calming influence. The two girls laughed at the idea that Trixie was calming.

Looking in the mirror one last time, Trixie decided she was ready. Grabbing her overnight bag, she hurried to Manor House. Honey met her at the door.

"Trix, I'm so glad you're spending the night! It feels like it's been forever since I've seen you, although it's only been two days."

Trixie laughed at Honey's exuberance. "I know! Now, let me put my stuff away. Oh! I'll need to borrow a hanger. I brought something to wear for dinner."

Honey's eyes widened comically. "You brought a dress?"

"Of course not," Trixie said, waving her hand and wrinkling her nose. "I brought a skirt and a silk shirt that I got for Christmas."

"You know, if only Diana were here instead of Arizona."

"I know, but at least all the guys are spending the night at the Farm."

"There's a plus,"Honey laughed. "They won't be throwing shoes at the wall to tell us to be quiet and stop with all the giggling."

By this time, the girls were in Honey's room. Trixie handed Honey her new skirt. It was a simple black above-the-knee length, with a two-inch slit in front of one thigh. "Moms said I was mature enough to wear something like that. Can you believe it?"

"You are going to be sixteen in a few months. You've grown up a lot. You're even growing out of being a tomboy," Honey reminded her friend with a smile, while gesturing at Trixie's painted nails and hair that was now below her shoulders.

"That's true," Trixie responded thoughtfully. "But you have got to see this shirt. It's so pretty and soft." Trixie brought out a turquoise blue silk button-down shirt.

Honey fingered the material. "It is pretty. The pale pink polish looks good against it. I have just the clip you can borrow tonight too. It will match the shirt perfectly." Honey rummaged through a vanity drawer until she found what she was looking for and held it out to Trixie's inspection.

Later that night as time for supper grew closer, Trixie showered and dressed. She hadn't seen Ben since he arrived while she was in the shower. Butterflies fluttering, she went downstairs to the dining room. Hearing voices and taking a deep breath, she stepped inside the room. Ben had been talking to Mr. Wheeler, but when his eyes fell on Trixie, his voice trailed off. He moved toward her, mindless of the stares and half grins he was receiving.

"Hi," he said softly. "You look beautiful."

"Thanks," Trixie smiled self-consciously.

"Dinner's ready," Celia announced, interrupting the moment.

Everyone was soon finding their places at the table. Conversations were flying over her head, but Trixie later couldn't recall anything that was said. Once dinner was over, Honey turned to Trixie.

"Why don't you and Ben go to the library? I know you two would like to talk."

Ben nodded like an overeager puppy. He took Trixie's hand and led her away. Once in the library, they sat on one of the overstuffed couches together.

"How've you been?" he asked.

"Oh, it's been normal. There was the Toys for Tots drive we held, but other than that, pretty boring. Oh, except for when Bobby and I made wreaths and gave them to the neighbors as gifts. Making the wreaths is a tradition we started last year. And Mart's teasing me about you." Trixie blushed at the admission.

"Does it bother you?" Ben asked her.

She thought about it. "You know, it really doesn't. If it wasn't you, it'd just be something else."

He put an arm around her. "I don't want to cause you pain, even indirectly. Were you able to find a date to the Christmas dance? I wish I'd been able to come for it."

She smiled and snuggled into him. "It's okay. I went with Dan. It would have been more fun if I had gone with you, but I had an okay time. There was only one thing missing."

"What was that?"

"The good night kiss," she answered, averting her eyes to the floor.

"I think I can fix that."

He gently turned her face to him and kissed her lightly. Trixie felt her stomach flutter as he deepened the kiss. Her arms went around his neck.

Ben broke off the kiss before it went too far. They looked at each other, breathing hard, with goofy smiles on their faces.

"I'd better get to Honey's room, before I lose the willpower to leave you."

He understood. Hand-in-hand, they walked to Honey's closed door. One last hug, and Trixie was inside.

"How was the talk?" Honey asked with a smile.

Trixie smiled impishly. "What little talk there was, you mean. It was fine. It was the kissing that was great."

Honey laughed.

After a couple of hours spent giggling and whispering, the girls fell asleep.

Going downstairs for breakfast, the girls got a surprise. Sitting at the breakfast table was Mart, happily chowing down.

"Hi," he said, after swallowing a few times. "I was out chasing Reddy, and Miss Trask invited me in."

"Did you catch him?" Trixie asked.

"No, he ran off into the woods. Silly dog," he muttered. "What's the plan for the day?"

"I think I'm going to help Miss Trask and Celia take down the tree," Honey supposed.

"I have to get home and help Moms around the house," Trixie reminded her brother.

"I'm helping dad shovel the snow," Mart nodded, throwing in a few more grumbles about chores in general.

Once she was home for the day, Trixie busied herself with her chores. She was so off in space that she completed the list her mother had put together for her without realizing it.

Finally, it was New Year's Eve. There was a party at the Manor House, and even Diana was back and able to go. Jim had asked a former classmate named Kelsey and Dan had invited Ruthie.

At the party, Trixie was telling Honey, Diana, and Kelsey and Ruthie about her trip to the grocery store with her mom. "I think we're the only people who have black-eyed peas and spinach on New Year's Day. There were loads of the stuff left."

"Why do you have those things?" Honey asked.

"One of my great-grandmothers was from the south. It's tradition to have black-eyed peas for good luck in the coming year, and the spinach is for financial stability. She was married during the Great Depression and since her family never lost their farm, she believed it worked," Trixie said, hoping she was right and she hadn't gotten mixed up.

"Oh!" Honey cried. "It's time to turn on the TV! The special in Times Square is on."

The television showed millions of people braving the cold to be outside in Times Square. It was a tradition to watch the ball drop. Each person in attendance seemed to magically gravitate toward their date for the evening. They counted down the New Year. As soon as "Auld Lang Syne" was heard, there were kisses throughout the room. After kissing Brian, Honey glanced around the room. She frowned as she noticed the Ben and Trixie were missing.

Ben and Trixie had retreated to the library. Sitting on the same couch as before and holding hands, they were talking about what they expected the new year to bring.

"I'm going to keep my grades up in English and math. And I expect to see you a lot more often," Trixie grinned, relieved at how comfortable she felt with him.

"You will." Ben felt nervous. He was about to make an admission that scared him. "Trix, I have to tell you something. When I'm at school, I'm no longer the goof-off or the playboy. Whenever I want to do something, all I can think is how you would feel about it. I want to make you proud to be with me. Even if we are only together when I'm here. I'm doing better in school than I ever have before. I'm behaving better. I haven't been in even a hint of trouble in a whole semester. And it's all because of you."

"Oh, Ben!" Trixie was touched that he cared so much. "It's not just about me. It's you. You want me to be proud to be with you? Well, I am. No matter what."

"Trix," Been looked deep in her eyes. "I love you. You make me want to be better. No one has ever done that before."

"I love you too." They shared a sweet kiss and hugged, weights lifted from both their chests with the honesty of feelings shared.

"Mart! I told you there was nothing to worry about. They're just hugging!" Diana's voice came from very near, interrupting the silence.

"I still had to check," he insisted.

Ben and Trixie separated to scowl at Mart. Giving up, Trixie just smiled. She knew Mart would never trust any guy alone with her.

Author'As notes: These characters are not mine. Alas, they belong to Random House. This is a GWP VII (I think) for Zap's. Thanks to Mal, Julie G., and Julie S. for doing a rush job for me! I'll try not to send out any more of those! When I do, I miss El's editing. Thanks to Teresa for overlooking it after uploading!

**An unexpected guest Mart  
>A gift Wreaths for the neighbors<strong>

**Holiday song Auld Lang Syne**

**Holiday food Black-eyed peas and spinach**

**Holiday decoration The Christmas tree Honey helps to take down**

**A family tradition Watching the ball drop in Times Square**

**An animal Reddy**


	4. Spring Break Beginnings

Spring Break Beginnings

Trixie was looking forward to Spring Break. She honestly needed a break from classes. Just one more day, she told herself Friday morning. The day passed sluggishly. She breathed a sigh of relief when it was time for lunch.

"Ugh," she groaned, sitting down with the five BWGs that attended SleepysideJr. School. "Could this day go any slower?"

Honey smiled. "Relax. There's only three more hours until freedom."

Diana's eyes twinkled. "And we don't have to worry about school or homework for nine whole days."

Dan shrugged. "All it means to me is more work."

Mart shook his head. "More time for dates." He smiled at Diana, who blushed prettily.

Trixie didn't really participate in the following chatter. She spent her time focusing on eating her lunch. _Bite, chew, chew, chew, swallow_. _Start again_. She was happy when the bell rang for class. She only had two and a half hours left.

Honey grabbed her attention as they trudged to their next class. "You look nice today, Trixie. That's a beautiful blouse and it goes really nicely with that skirt."

Trixie smiled as Diana seconded Honey's observation. Dan and Mart just rolled their eyes, wishing wistfully that this was still the year before. The girls didn't spend as much time talking about clothes back then.

She shuffled through her last three classes. When the last bell rang, she felt a renewed energy and hurried towards the hall.

"Miss Belden," her English teacher called. "Could you stay a few minutes, please?" It was not a question.

Trixie sighed once again. "Yes, Mr. Pritchard?" She wondered why her male teachers always seemed to call students by their last names while the female teachers used first names.

"You did well on your composition. I wanted to congratulate you."

She smiled. "Thank you. May I go now?"

Mr. Pritchard nodded and Trixie gratefully escaped to her locker to throw her books in and leave.

Getting to the parking lot, she frowned when she didn't see the Bob-White station wagon. A horn sounded to her left and she glanced toward it. Her jaw dropped in surprise at what she saw. There was a gorgeous guy standing in the driver's seat of a yellow convertible, waving at her.

Her face breaking into a surprised smile, she started running. "Ben!" she called when she neared him. "Why didn't you tell me you were coming?"

"I wanted it to be a surprise. I called your mom and got permission to kidnap you until curfew at the latest." He sat down and gently tapped the tip of her nose before moving in for a kiss.

Trixie deepened the kiss before moving away. She noticed that other stragglers from the school building had been watching her. She blushed. "Can we get out of here now?" she begged.

"Of course," he said, smiling at her pink cheeks. "If you'd like a snack, help yourself." He gestured to the back.

She shook her head, continuously watching him. "I can't believe you're here and didn't tell me. Is that why everyone left?"

He nodded. "I told them, then let Mart borrow my cell to confirm it with your mom."

Trixie shook her head. "He's never going to trust me with anyone."

Ben just shrugged.

When they arrived at the park, Ben found a small clearing by the river and spread out a blanket before going back to the car for the snacks. Trixie got settled while waiting for him and looked around, remembering how she and Diana would play there as children. She was soon lost in memories that had hidden themselves for far too long.

Ben returned and started setting out the snacks he'd brought. Trixie's eyes widened at the assortment of fruit, granola bars, cookies, and chips. She turned to him, jaw dropped.

He shrugged. "I didn't know what you'd be in the mood for."

She looked down at the blanket and blushed. "I'm more in the mood for a kiss."

Ben smiled. "I can handle that." He leaned in, but as soon as his lips touched hers, they heard a sound of a childish groan.

"Ew! Cooties!"

Trixie's swung her gaze around until she saw a boy of about five staring. She blushed as the boy's mother followed his shout.

"I'm terribly sorry he got away from me and interrupted you," the mother said. "I just had to change a diaper." She gestured to the baby she held.

Ben chuckled. "It's okay."

Trixie nodded her agreement. "I have a little brother myself. He can be a joy, or he can be an inconvenience. Never both at the same time."

The older woman smiled and grabbed her son's hand. "Let's go, Christopher."

"But mommy, they were kissing! Can I give the big boy a cootie shot?"

Ben?s chuckles grew to all-out laughter. "Of course you can, Christopher."

Trixie's eyes twinkled. "Don't I get a cootie shot, too?"

Christopher shook his head wildly. "You're a girl." His tone was the same as if he proclaimed her a spider. "You will always have cooties. But the big boy won't, as long as he doesn't touch you or kiss you." He shuddered at the thought of kissing as he lightly pinched the back of Ben's hand. Looking solemnly at Ben, the little boy told him, "You'll be cured now."

Trixie giggled as she looked at Christopher's mother.

"Thank you for humoring him," she said to Ben. "I would have heard him whining the whole way home." Without another word, she dragged Christopher back up the path and into the main play area of the park.

Ben looked at Trixie with a playful smirk. "Do you think the cootie shot will guard me for a little longer?"

She giggled. "I think it might, but just a few minutes. If you persist after that, I'll give you cooties again."

"I'll risk it." He leaned in again. This time, there was no interruption.

When the day started to grow dark, they decided to watch the stars come out. Reclining on their backs watching the beautiful night sky, Ben laced his fingers through Trixie's and kissed her knuckles. She smiled shyly as she returned the gesture. When they started to get cold despite their jackets, they packed up everything and made their way back to Ben's car.

They made it to Wimpy's in just a few minutes, where they both ordered hamburgers and fries. "Are we repeating our first meal together?" Ben asked.

"I guess we are," Trixie answered.

He shook his head in wonder. "Just think, we wouldn't have had so much fun if you hadn't been dared to ask me to lunch."

Trixie froze. "You know about the dare?"

He nodded. "I heard Jim talking to you that day after we got back. I didn't wait around to hear your answers."

"I'm sorry you had to hear that. I'm sorry it was a dare that made me ask you."

He smiled at her. "I'm not. If you hadn't been dared, I doubt you would have. If I'd known it was a dare then, I wouldn't have asked you out to dinner that night. Everything happens for a reason." He shrugged.

She blushed. "I guess it does. Until then, I just thought of you as Honey's annoying, practical-joking cousin. I never imagined I'd come to care about you."

His voice dropped a few octaves. "I more than care for you. I love you, Trixie."

"I love you, too, Ben. You make me happy. I just have one request."

"If it's in my power, it's yours."

"I like surprises and all, but I don't want you to be a surprise. I would have made it through school so much more easily if I'd known I had something to look forward to afterwards."

"I can't promise that, because sometimes I get here before I know it's a sure thing. I do promise that I'll let you know if I _know_ I can make it."

She grinned impishly. "That's a nice compromise, but I notice that you left yourself a loophole there."

He laughed. "Of course I did. I want to be able to surprise you sometimes."

Finished eating, Ben paid the bill and they walked out hand-in-hand. On the drive home, Trixie turned to him with a serious expression. "I can't help but wonder, how'd you manage to get here so early? I'd never think you could be here in time for me to get out of school."

He smiled and squeezed her hand. "I had my last class yesterday. I just had an exam today. I packed last night and left right after I'd finished. I didn't think I could wait any longer to see you."

Trixie shivered, feeling her heart jump in happiness.

All too soon, Ben pulled into Trixie's driveway. "Want to come in?" she asked. "It's still early."

He declined. "I really should go spend a little time with Uncle Matthew, Aunt Maddie, and Honey before I crash."

"I understand."

"I'll see you tomorrow though," he promised. "We'll do something fun. Maybe we'll even invite my cousin, your brother, and your friends." He winked.

She giggled before leaning in for a goodnight kiss. She broke it off and exited the car before her mother had time to flick the porch light at her.

Waving back at him, she went inside, closing the door softly behind her.


	5. The Belden Inquisition

The Belden Inquisition

Trixie stretched luxuriously as she woke up on Saturday morning. The memory of Ben's surprise brought a smile to her face. Seeing him waiting to pick her up after school was a pleasant shock. That smile was soon followed by a blush as she recalled her dream.

_Trixie and Ben were walking through the preserve hand-in-hand. Ben stopped to look at her as he leaned back against a tree. He pulled her close enough to kiss her sweetly._

"_Trixie and Ben, sitting in a tree. K-I-S-S-I-N-G!" Bobby sang as he appeared from nowhere. _

_This did not seem strange to Trixie for some reason. What did seem strange, however, was that somehow, she and Ben were now literally sitting in a tree. _

_Bobby went on to try to finish the song, but Trixie panicked. If Bobby could sing and make her and Ben land on a tree branch, what more could he do with that stupid song?_

"_Bobby, stop!" she yelled down to him, desperately trying not to end up married and with a baby all in one day, while still sitting in the tree._

Wondering what the plan for the day would be, she left her comfortable bed, grabbed some clothes, and went to take a shower.

Wandering into the kitchen, she was surprised to find that Moms wasn't there. Instead, Mart was waiting for her.

"Moms had a garden club meeting," he informed her. "I told her I'd take care of Bobby and breakfast this morning."

"Then where is Bobby and what about breakfast?" she asked.

Mart sniffed at her. "Bobby is in his room. As for breakfast, you would see that it is on the counter, if you wipe the sleep from your eyes."

Sure enough, she looked at the counter and saw a bowl of cereal set out waiting for milk to be added. "Thanks," she told him, with one eyebrow raised. "You must have worked really hard on this."

Mart nodded approvingly at her words. "I did. It was really hard to get the cereal off the top shelf of the pantry, not to mention the bowl out of the cabinet."

"You forgot the spoon and the milk," she dryly informed him.

"Well, since you're here and no one else is, I think it's time we had a talk."

Trixie sighed. "What do you want to talk about?"

Mart got a look on his face that warned her that he was in a big brother mood. "I want to talk about why you are dating a college guy. Not to mention that he's your best friend's cousin and a troublemaker."

The best response he received was a glare.

"Mart, I am old enough to decide who I want to date. Ben and I aren't exclusive. We have fun together when he's here. That's it. He's not pressuring me in any way. The fact that he's Honey's cousin should make you happy. He's not about to do anything that would upset her or her parents. And I think you missed the memo. He hasn't caused any trouble in a long time. Besides, why are you waiting until now to ask me about this?" Trixie's voice rose a bit towards the end of her monologue.

"Calm down, Trix," her brother said, giving her a hug. "I just care about you and don't want you getting hurt. As for why I waited, I thought you two might get bored with each other, or you'd get tired of not having him around all the time. I mean, you go with friends to school dances."

"I won't get hurt," she promised him, defensively.

He closed his eyes with a sigh. No one ever planned on getting hurt when it came to the matters of the heart.

Trixie wasn't aware that he knew, but he'd seen the look in her eyes when she was just talking to Ben. Mart knew she was well on her way to falling in love with him, even if she didn't realize it herself.

At the same time that Mart was talking to Trixie, Brian had cornered Ben in the Manor House stables, where he had been helping Regan groom one of the horses before Regan was distracted by a phone call.

Brian studied Ben as if he were a germ under a microscope and crossed his arms, trying to be the intimidating big brother he could be if pushed in that direction.

Ben's smile turned into an almost audible gulp as he took in Brain's expression. He'd never been afraid of Brian, but now that he was informally dating the guy's sister, he felt decidedly nervous.

"Hi, Brian," Ben said, trying to sound casual around the lump in his throat.

Brian made no response.

_This is it,_ Ben thought. _I'm going to get the beating of my life…and then he'll kill me._ "Is there something you wanted?" Ben asked, his nervousness rising to the level of a swarm of yellow jackets in his stomach.

"You know, Mart and I... we grew up on a farm. Dad taught us how to shoot, how to hunt, how to drain the kill, how to skin it, and how to field dress it," Brian started conversationally, arms still crossed as he leaned against the wall of the barn.

Ben's jaw clenched out of nervousness halfway through the beginning of Brian's trial. He had to fight to unlock it so he could swallow. "What brings that up, Brian?" He hoped he hadn't just heard his voice crack.

"Trixie is my baby sister. She is the sunshine in our house. And Mart and I love her very much. I wanted to make sure that was made crystal clear to you," Brian finished with one eyebrow raised at Ben.

"I would never set out to purposely hurt her, Brian, I swear it."

"I'm not saying you would," Brian said innocently, "but that's good to hear. You have a nice day, Ben." Brian casually strolled out of the barn, whistling happily as he wandered slowly back down to Crabapple Farm.

Brian waved cheerfully at Trixie as he passed her on the walk back home. She grinned brightly, not taking the time to wave back, and ran by him, nearly bowling him over.

"Well?" Mart demanded the second his older brother walked into the farm house.

"He looked like he was about to piss his pants. My work here is done," Brian grinned maniacally.

"You really get a kick out of playing the intimidating older brother don't you?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Brian's grin turned to one of innocence.

"And your little talk?"

"She wasn't thrilled. I thought my flesh would burn off for a second or two there. But she came 'round," Mart sighed as the two of them took seats at the kitchen table to talk.

A smirk graced Mart's face as he looked at Brian and asked, "Did you use that farm boy born and bred speech?"

"It just works so well," Brian boasted, as he studied his fingernails.

"Doesn't hurt that it's your favorite," Mart snorted.

"When you've got it, you've got it."

"Let's just hope that Trix never finds out that you had that talk with Benny boy," Mart muttered.

Both boys grimaced at that idea. Trixie was more than a few kinds of spit fire, and she had a temper.

Trixie met Ben at the stables, where he had Susie and Thunderer saddled. They mounted their horses and followed a wide trail in the preserve. The trail reminded her of her dream and she giggled, glancing around for Bobby. _Just in case,_ she told herself.

She looked over at Ben and smiled. Receiving a smile in return, she playfully reached over and pinched him before setting Susie in a trot. He soon caught up on Thunderer and Susie slowed to a walk without any direction from Trixie.

After riding a bit more into the woods, Trixie noticed that Ben was staring at something. She tried to catch his attention.

Ben was a bit twitchy whenever Trixie would reach over and touch him. She was starting to get annoyed. She reined in Susie and glared half-heartedly at Ben.

"Just what is wrong with you?" she asked. "You're really acting strange, like I'm going to haul off and hit you or something."

Ben tried to shrug it off, "Nothing really, Trix. I'm just a bit sore from helping Regan this morning."

Her eyes narrowed as she studied him. "That's not it. You're not sitting right to be achy. If I didn't know any better, I'd say one of my brothers threatened you or something," she laughed.

Ben didn't laugh. In fact, his face lost most of its color. He turned away to try to hide the perspiration that suddenly dotted his forehead. He was too late.

Trixie had already seen it. Her face grew pink in anger. "Those- They- Argh!" she was so upset that she couldn't speak properly.

Before Ben could respond, she jerked the reigns, wheeling Susie around, and took off at a gallop towards Crabapple Farm.

Brain and Mart were just leaving the house when they heard hoof beats. Knowing only one person that would be riding in their direction so fast, they quickly turned right back around and disappeared into their bedroom, hoping against hope that Trixie wouldn't think to look under their beds for them.

Thanks to Reganfan for the convo between Ben and Brian. For those who don't remember Thunderer, s/he briefly made an appearance in #8, The Black Jacket Mystery. This was the horse with the cut on his/her leg that Brian, Mart, and Jim were taking care of while Regan went to the city to get Dan. Thanks to Julie G. and Ryl for editing.


End file.
